CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to
the Study
Africa,
especially the Sub-Saharan region has been plagued by conflict for many decades
now (Clempson, 2012). There has been a great deal of war and bloodshed since
the colonial masters left the continent. According to De Ree and Nillesn
(2009), the last six decades has experienced up to 47 civil wars in sub
–Saharan Africa which in turn has resulted in over 1.37 million deaths on the
battlefield and an even larger number of civilian deaths. In Nigeria, over the past two decades,
especially in the middle belt, the country has also experienced an increased
level of violence” (Action Aid Nigeria, 2014). Experts have in several studies
identified economic disparities and more importantly structural violence, as
key factors in the rise of violence in the region (Olojo, 2013; Walker, 2012;
and Adesoji, 2010).
According to Olojo (2012), structural violence has
predicated thousands
of impoverished and unemployed youths in northern Nigeria to take part in armed
violence. This state of events according to the report has resulted in the said
youths becoming willing recruits for the terrorist organisationBoko Haram’s who
has being the main cause of a series of conflicts and armed violence
predominant in the Northern part of Nigeria. Olojo (2012) attributed the main cause
of the Boko Haram crisis to poverty, lack of education and social
marginalisation. This makes a clear case for the premise that structural
violence is one of the more responsible factors leading to armed violence and
conflict in the region under review.
Another
serious case of conflict that has plagued the North-central region of Nigeria
in recent years is the crisis that has persisted between Fulani herdsmen and
farmers in various states in the region. The problem here can be traced to a
belief of land and ‘overlord-ship’ entitlement held by one or both parties and
the resulting violence is caused by the feeling that the other party is
trespassing or encroaching on land that does not belong to them. Other cases
reported include Fulani herdsmen taking up arms against farmers who accuse them
of despoiling their crops with cattle during grazing and farmers taking up arms
against Fulani herdsmen upon hearing that ‘so and so’ farmer was attacked in
‘so and so’ town. Again the development of these cases of conflict can can be
explained using the concept of structural violence. Galtung (1969)’s structural
violence paradigm underscores how socio-cultural systems, political structures
and state institutions create structural violence among people and indirectly act
as instigators of armed violence and conflict. By implication, it is the many
factors of political, social and ethnic machinations (e.g implementation of
land tenure and the concept of communal land, lack of proper litigation and
inter-ethnic conflict mediation in rural areas etc) that has created the
aforementioned beliefs of entitlement as well as a system that can continually
breed violence and conflict. Accordingly, the theory suggests how seeds of
hostility are sown and ultimately degenerate into large scale uprisings,
revolutions and conflicts within societies.
Structural conflict is therefore inherently built
into a society through its structure and organization as it is seen in the
forceful foundation of the Nigerian state’s adoption of federalism as was
propagated by the British. Structural violence in this context examines the
social problems that have manifested itself in the North central zone as a
result of certain federal principles such as federal character/quota system,
fiscal federalism amongst others that do not suit the system or are not
properly balanced in practice, this principles have brought about; political
and economic exclusion, poverty, injustice, exploitation, religious conflicts
which are the major sources of conflict peculiar to this zone. Structuralism
maintains that conflicts occur because of the exploitative and unjust nature of
human society, domination of one class by another (Faleti, 2006).
Conflict is inherent in society; so are mechanisms
for dealing with it. The decline of traditional authority and its role in
conflict mediation has contributed to the development of large-scale conflict
in countries such as Liberia, Somalia, Sudan and our case study, north central
zone of Nigeria. Characteristic of many conflicts in the northern zone of
Nigeria have degenerated to a critical level. It has so far defied possible
explanations where life is solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short. The state
at present is in a dire situation of unrest, continual suspicion, perpetual fear
of violence and death. In this condition, there is little place for industry;
because the fruit thereof is uncertain and worse of all, continual fear, and
danger of violent death.
Conflict transformation is an emerging field or
theoretical framework in the study of conflict resolution and management. The
idea behind conflict transformation is to go beyond just resolving conflict and
try to ensure that one attains a long-term goal of ‘transforming’ or addressing
the reasons for the conflict in order to ensure that it never arises again
(Miall, 2004).
Conflict transformation appears to be able to
provide a lasting solution to the issues addressed above. This is because,
unlike most other conflict management techniques, conflict transformation
actually tries to tackle a problem of conflict from the cause through to its
effects. Thus, this research aims at investigating the relationship between
structural violence and conflict in North-central Nigeria as well as the
suitability of conflict transformation for tackling the underlying problems.
1.2 Statement
of the Problem
In Nigeria today, the adoption of
Western civilization and system of government can be argued to have actually
increased imbalances in the Nigerian federation as exemplified in continued centralization
and concentration of power at the centre with its attendant consequences;
conflicts of varying degrees. This has led to a great deal of marginlization of
minority ethnic groups (e.g. Niger-Deltans and North-Central tribes); causing
poverty, poor education and structural violence (Agang 2013). The resulting
effect of this state of things has been conflict and armed violence which has
troubled the region for the last two decades or so (Action Aid, 2014). Even
though there is a consensus that the federal idea is the most suitable
mechanism for fostering unity and diversity in the context of ethnic, religious
and regional pluralities of Nigeria, there is still the feeling that the
federal system; which was adopted by Nigeria as a way of managing her diversity
and heterogeneity; has not yielded much peaceful output, but rather, has
created problems and violence amongst the various groups in the country. In the
North central zone, the idea of federalism in the Nigerian political space has
so far not been able to tamed the recurrence of ethnic clashes and violence,
there still exists imbalances amongst the people which is the major source of
conflict.
It is based on the contending
issues that this study is relevant for theoretical and practical reasons. A
study of the nature and prevalence of structural violence and the role it plays
in premeditating armed conflict and violence will be important for addressing
the Nigerian Structural Violence problem whose solution has eluded both policy
and experts till date.
1.3 Objective of
the Study
The main objective of this study is to assess the
incidence of structural violence present in the North central zone of Nigeria,
and how conflict transformation can be used to proffer solutions to this
problem.The specific objectives are to;
- examine the concept of structural
violence;
- Interrogate incidences of structural
violence in North Central Nigeria;
- assess the role structural violence
plays in premeditation of armed violence and conflict in North Central Nigeria
and
- evaluate how conflict transformation can
be used to manage structural violence
and conflict in North-Central Nigeria
1.4
Research Questions
- To what extent is the state of
structural violence in North Central Nigeria?
- How has the prevalence of structural violence
resulted in North-central Nigeria armed conflicts?
- How can conflict transformation be used
to manage the structuralviolence posed in the North Central Zone?
STRUCTURAL VIOLENCE IN THE NORTH CENTRAL GEO-POLITICAL ZONE OF NIGERIA: A CONFLICT TRANSFORMATION APPROACH
